Resident Evil 4 Remake Separate Ways PS5 Review – If there’s one thing that is constant in Resident Evil, beyond blasting a zombie’s head into bloody chunks or scoffing healing herbs, it’s that wherever Leon S. Kennedy is, then Ada Wong is probably not too far behind. Indeed, the pair have been inextricably linked since their introduction in Resident Evil 2 (1998), with the Lady in Red typically assigned to shadowy operations while Leon plays the hero nearby. This is the case with Separate Ways, which chronicles Ada’s exploits that run concurrently to Resident Evil 4 Remake‘s main campaign.
Originally included in the PS2 version of Resident Evil 4 (the GameCube version only had Assignment Ada, which lacked narrative punch and was nowhere near as meaty in terms of content), Separate Ways is a chunky expansion that completely subverts expectations; it uses the original as a template, but introduces new areas, enemies and cutscenes that makes it feel even more crucial to the overall RE4 narrative.
Resident Evil 4 Remake Separate Ways PS5 Review – Lady In Red Is Spying On Me
Working for the enigmatic Albert Wesker, Ada is tasked with recovering the Amber from the Los Illuminados cult, which houses great power and is the key to Wesker’s nefarious plans (he doesn’t wear those perpetual sunglasses just to look cool; he’s a right evil git, as fans will recall). This means you’ll be visiting a number of familiar locations, but even if you’ve played the original Separate Ways, Capcom has managed to keep things fresh. Without spoiling anything, if you missed some things that were cut from the original version of RE4 in Leon’s mission, then you’ll likely find them repurposed here in Separate Ways. Even the laser hallway makes a comeback, but slightly redesigned and is actually executed more effectively than before.
Crucially, Ada doesn’t feel like a reskin of Leon. She has her own distinct personality and unique melee attacks that are befitting of her character; whereas Leon is more of a brawler, Ada adds a touch of elegance whenever she whacks an enemy around the face. Ever the professional, Ada’s stoicism gives her a tough exterior, but occasionally some humour does seep through, and as the story progresses she softens a little as she’s reminded of her past experiences with Leon. She’s cold, yes, but never to the point of being unlikable; Ada is uncompromising, yet there’s some nuance to her character that you get the sense that there’s some inner conflict going on.
The meat-and-potatoes gameplay also receives a little nudge thanks to the inclusion of her grappling hook. Not only does this give her a bit of an edge in navigation (hitting R1 within range of a grapple spot to fling yourself forward never gets old), but it also adds a bit more verticality into the game’s environments. In fact, there’s one boss battle where you have to leap across rooftops to gain the advantage over your towering adversary, adding new dimension to otherwise familiar scraps. This keeps familiar locations from feeling stale as you gain access to areas unreachable in Leon’s campaign, and it’s great to see things from a different perspective as they interweave with scenes you’ve already experienced.
The grappling hook also plays into combat too, as you can use it to latch onto an enemy from a distance and give them a solid kick to knock them down. Again, it’s nothing game changing, but an interesting new wrinkle on another wise familiar tapestry. The bosses are among some of the best in the entire game too, with one particular foe sure to make fans of the original RE4 sit up and take notice. Always a challenge but never feeling unfair, Separate Way’s epic boss rucks are a welcome change of pace and offer some blood-pumping combat, careful resource management (don’t needlessly blow all those explosive arrows!) and inject a layer of strategy that isn’t really seen with regular enemies.
Speaking of which, Separate Ways seems to balance things pretty solidly when it comes to supplies versus enemy hordes. There’s usually enough ammo to get you through major encounters, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have to be judicious with what you spend and when. The Merchant also gets involved, and while Ada’s arsenal isn’t as extensive as Leon’s, you can still invest in shotguns, rifles, and handguns, and the sultry spy also gets access to a bow gun that fires explosive arrows. Crucially, I never once felt overpowered; like the main campaign, you get plenty of bang for your buck, but the strategic undercurrent of managing and crafting supplies ensures you never let your guard down. It’s a smaller scale than what Leon has to deal with, but it’s very much still the beating heart of the core gameplay loop.
Oh, and in a nice James Bond-esque moment, Ada also puts some fancy contact lens gizmo to work allowing her to spot hand and footprints, which you’ll need to track every now and then. This definitely helps sell her character more and makes you feel like you’re a super spy.
Separate Ways is very nearly a perfect DLC experience, let alone one of the best expansion for a Resident Evil game to date. At $9.99 you get five hours or so worth of new content, a solid narrative to complement the main campaign, some great boss battles, and the chance to play as one of the series’ most beloved characters. The most egregious issues come down to enemies still stun-locking you at times and a less-than-generous window for hitting circle to dodge an attack, but honestly, it’s few and far between. If you want the complete Resident Evil 4 Remake experience, Separate Ways is not only worth the price, but is absolutely essential to boot.
Resident Evil 4 Remake: Separate Ways is out now for PS5, PS4, PC, and Xbox Series X/S.
Review code kindly provided by publisher.